Eszmeria – the Humans

“As high councillor and advisor to the king, i sometimes think that I, Ospin Miere, am the only honest person within this state of office. I have no hidden agenda, no devious plans to assert control. No, I am here to ensure that others with such ideas and leanings are kept well away from the King. Others, wether they are listening just a little too closely to the church or basing their decisions on which trade route will most benefit them, do not have the best interests of Eszmeria in mind. I do and I shall do everything within my power to make sure that Eszmeria remains the greatest kingdom in the world. You would like an example? Then I would remind you of the disastrous alliance with the Hadab that lesser councillor ABC and his cronies tried to foist upon king Bardolf! That alliance would have cost us dearly and I had to argue non-stop through seven sessions, without a single rest or draft of water to soothe my throat, to crush the proposal and bury it. That shows my dedication. And was I justified? The prosperity we currently enjoy is answer enough for that question.

This season, as the snow settles the ground, the Pagan are striking us again, torching our towns and settlements in the north. They claim that it is revenge for the attacks we made last summer but they were not attacks. We travelled to their lands to trade and preach; they are the ones who attacked us! Our forces were just defending themselves. Look closely at the robes I am wearing – the material for this garment was traded to us by the Barbarians before they took umbrage at our presence. We would have paid with silver but they gave us no choice but to pay with cold steel. We gained some pretty cloth and they lost their lives. Hardly a fair exchange from their point of view.

Eszmeria is a great land and our warriors are forging a new world, moving our borders even further in all directions. While the kings guard and the holy templars do not always see eye-to-eye, they have the same purpose on mind. There will come a time when this entire land is ours, from sea to sea, and we must make others ready for this.”

Eszmeria – the Church State

The inhabitants of Eszmeria are almost exclusively human. The sprawling, landlocked kingdom of Eszmeria is an enigma to many. To some, it is clearly ruled by King Reynard Bardolf and Queen Beatrix; to others, the Church (led by the Arch Bishop Francis Whyte) is the controlling power. They are both right, to an extend, but the subject is not open to debate – at least not in public. The relationship between Bardolf and Whyte is unique – Whyte accepts Bardolf as the ruler and bows to his decisions but Bardolf, as a god-fearing man, is highly influenced by Whyte and lets him know that. The Queen, on the other hand, accepts Bardolf as the ruler and distrusts, some might say dislikes, Whyte and the power he has over the king. She has built up quite a clandestine following devoted to her and opposed to the church and its heavy-handed ways. it is a strange, and immently volatile situation.

King Bardolf’s appetite for conquest (along with the well oiled propaganda machine within his court of trusted advisors) ensures that the armed forces loyal to the crown are forever growing. It is considered a position of honour to serve in the military, to be a part of things in this grand continuing quest for glory. The King and queen live in seperate cities within the kingdom and each controls an army on its own. While each army is, of course, loyal to Eszmeria, they are devoted to their leader first, be it king or queen. The church on the other hand, sees this as an excellent watering-down of power as the church army answers to Whyte alone – with no divided loyalities to worry about.

The Church, headed by the Arch Bishop Francis Whyte, maintains a military force for its own defense. Their religion, which features the worship of one all-powerful god and the concept of heaven for those who lead pious, caring lives and hell for those who don’t, is very important to Eszmerians. All aspects of daily life are infused with religious temperament to some degree. Non-believers, be they Eszmerians or Outlanders, are dealt with by the Church-controlled Yruton, a particularly savage brand of holy inquisition. If it becomes common knowledge that one does not truly believe (and no one will protect you if this is indeed the case), he is urged to go and explain his-self. These regular sessions held before a high priest in theÂ black chamber are not a pleasant experience. The only redemption for non-believers is to be tortured to death for the sake of their immortal soul.

Eszmerians holy Templars, the heavily armored elite knights who crusade against the dark triad and others they see as evil, are answerable to the Church rather than the king or any member of the royal family. They are a particularly vicious opponent as they have no fear of death, believing that they are fighting for the one true cause, and that if they die in battle they will go to heaven as heroes.

Important Places

There are six major city-fortresses within Eszmeria, each important in its own right, and each controlled by a member of the royal family. The well-protected city of Vaitev houses not only the palace of king bardolf but also the magnificent cathedral that represents the supreme headquarters of the church. Radiating out from a grand central square, this city more than any other in the kingdom is indicative of Eszmerian tastes and styles. From the grandeur of the palace to the intricacies of the architecture found in the buildings and houses, this city is a veritable showcase. Aclashane also has its poorer areas of course, where the style of architecture is limited to the amount of plaster one can spread over straw, but this aspect of the city is hidden and not so brightly lit, you might say.

The central castle, home to queen beatrix, is situated in the centre of Miza. Although outsiders think its strange that the king and queen do not share a single palace, the royal family feels that it is better to not “keep all their eggs in one basket”, as it were. Recognised as an Eszmerian centre of learning, the queen supports many universities and colleges within the sanctity of Miza’s fortified walls.

Aclashane is perhaps the most neglected of the Eszmerian cities and is beginning to suffer. Home to the templar training grounds until they where moved to Misthaven together with all church representatives. Aclashane is a city in the far north and controlled by the youngest of the royal heirs. Prince Krafwood. he is resentful of this posting, considering it a punishment of sorts being forced to rule a city which has lost its main industry – taking care of the templars and their needs. The marketplace catered primarily to the tempalrs, along with their household staff and retainers, the pubs and brewhouses served the market traders (and retainers), the blacksmiths served the templars, and so on. Aclashane has definitely seen better days and Krafwood’s ruling abilities are not instilling a great deal of confidence in the townsfolk. The king and his advisors are considering a replacement, without telling the queen of their plans.

The strongest of all Eszmerian cities, due in part ot the fact that it is now the home of the famed templar training grounds, is Misthaven. Situated close to the Scar, it protects the Garnuk pass through which the dark triads tries to invade. Within the fortress walls, Whyte has established a central seminary to lead initiates through his own particular style of preaching and below the grand courtyard, the Vonah sect maintains a black chamber where inquisitors are trained.

Off to the northeast, and the nearest to Hogor and Khor territories, is the city of Ericaport, a craftsmans paradise. Although still well defended, with a large number of soliders stationed there, it is here where the Eszmerian culture is defined for others. Bleridge is the northernmost city in the Eszmerian kingdom and closest to the holdings of the Goriath. Although quite small, Bleridge is well defended.

Partly due to Bardolf’s efforts to expand his borders, and partly due to the horror stories about the Inquisition which filter out, Eszmeria has many enemies – Goriath and Pagan to the north. Hogor and Khor to the northeast, Hadab to the south, and the many evils that represents the dark triad to the east.

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